STATE HOUSE – Rep. Dennis M. Canario (D-Dist. 71, Portsmouth, Little Compton, Tiverton) has introduced legislation (2017-H 6050) that would exempt the elderly and disabled people who cannot operate a vehicle from paying for state-issued identification cards.

“This legislation is needed because for many in our elderly and disabled communities, if they are not active drivers then they do not possess an official ID card. And for many of these people, they are already living on fixed-incomes and the price of a new ID card is too much for some, yet, so many programs in our society require an official ID, such as voting, so these people are left in a quite a predicament,” said Representative Canario. “Waiving the fees for these people is a small price to pay to ensure that our elderly and disabled friends and neighbors can continue to interact in our society.”

The act would apply to people over the age of 59 or people who are disabled and unable to drive from being charged a fee for identification cards issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The bill would only apply to people with no valid operator’s license or people who surrender their license due to an inability to drive.